Fade Away, Fade Away
by xXInkstainedHeartXx
Summary: Gumi has always wondered about the mirror in her upstairs closet. Her mother says its dangerous, and no one is to go near it. It drove her father to suicide. But Gumi can't resist, and once she's seen it, there's no going back...  Based off of Mosaic Roll
1. The Representative

**Based on the song Mosaic Roll- I do not own Vocaloid. Please read and review!**

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><p>CHAPTER 1: THE REPRESENTATIVE<p>

There's a mirror in our house.

It's upstairs, tucked into a tiny closet, hidden by racks of towels and moth-eaten blankets. You wouldn't even know it was there.

But we know.

In fact, the whole town knows.

And that's why, at this moment, the state Representative is ringing our doorbell, and Mother is letting him in kindly.

And why I'm staring into the hole in my bedroom wall.

Mom doesn't know about the hole. That's because I made it myself- whittled out with a pencil in the dead of night. Took me a while, but its there. Just wide enough to peek into the closet and see what's happening inside.

So now I wait. I see light flood the closet as the Representative eagerly opens the door, stepping inside. Closing the door behind him, he flips a light switch, and surveys the room. He won't find anything with his eyes at first. He has to search for it.

He starts digging through the towels and sheets greedily, mumbling to himself, "Where? Where?" I almost want to laugh at his impatience.

But I don't. I watch, and I wait.

Every person's reaction is different. I take it all in as he finally finds it, shrieking with delight and propping it up on the empty rack in front of him. Then he stares into it intently, and I stare at him intently, and we all stare. And we all wait.

And then the grin slowly spreads across his face. 

Mother told me once, when I was little, that the mirror can show you anyone. Whoever it thinks you need to see. Sometimes, it might show you your enemy. Sometimes, it might show you your secret admirer. Or it might not show you anyone. Whatever it thinks you deserve.

I'm not allowed to look into it.

Its locked 24/7, except for times like this, when curious people pay mother a small sum to take a look. Then mother unlocks it for them, for two minutes at the most, and then they leave, and she locks it again.

I think mother looked into it once. She claims that she never wants to look in it again. But the way she stares at the closet with such longing tells me otherwise.

Maybe she saw Father. He's been gone for six years now, ever since he threw himself off the third story window.

Mother's locked the third story too. 

When the Representative leaves, the house is quiet and still, as it was before. As it is every day. I can hear cicadas in the distance, filling the thick air with eerie chirping.

While I'm in bed pretending to be asleep, Mother opens the door and peers in, light flooding into the dark room. She does this every night. Probably just to check that I'm still alive.

She used to do this with Gakupo too, but he was soon fed up with it, and made her quit.

She leaves as quietly as she came, closing the door with a soft click. I turn to my left side, facing the whitewash walls, my hair falling over my face. It is 2 in the morning, and I haven't slept at all. School starts in six hours.

An eerie squeak emits from my window, where the branches of a tree are raking its fingers down the glass. I cringe and plug my ears as the wind whips it back and forth, hitting the window noisily. 

Knock, knock, knock.

I sit up, taking my hands off of my ears, and call softly, "Come in."

The door pushes open slowly and Gakupo's weary face appears in the crack of light. His messy violet hair sticks up everywhere, and his eyes squint in the dark, searching for me.

"Over here." I whisper. "You can turn on the lamp."

He does so, and a faint light illuminates the room. We can see clearly now, and smile kindly at each other from across the room.

"Morning, sis. What are you still doing up?" He mocks, sitting down on the bed next to me, propping up an elbow on his knee.

"I'd ask you the same, but I'm not really surprised."

"Night owl, that's me." Gakupo drums his long fingers on the bed frame. At last he mumbles, "Representative, huh?"

I laugh bitterly. "We're getting some big name customers now."

"Won't be long before the Prime Minister himself comes." Gakupo teases, hopping off the bed and crossing to the window. He watches the representative's long black car pull away into the night. Eventually he turns, closing the blinds behind him, and places his hands on his hips. "So. You playing hooky with me tomorrow?"

"Um, no." I roll my eyes. "There's this thing. It's called school."

"Don't be a smart ass. You're in the top 5 percent; you can afford to miss one day. Live a little." He tosses a throw pillow in my general direction, and it pathetically misses its target.

"That's not the way it works. Grades come first, Gakupo, you know that."

"Your priorities are ridiculous. Where is your social life? What about boyfriends, parties?" He's half-joking, I know it. But it still rubs me the wrong way.

"There's a fine line between getting good grades and being a slacker like you. Why'd you come in here anyway?" I snap, digging down under the covers.

Without replying, Gakupo stands up and leaves. I want to tell him I'm sorry, but my eyelids are already closing.


	2. The Unexpected

**I do not own vocaloid.**

**And don't worry, it'll start to seem more Mosaic Roll-ish in a few chapters . Please leave a review!**

**Also: Considering a GumixLen pairing. I think it'd be cute. What do you think?**

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><p>CHAPTER 2: THE UNEXPECTED<p>

School is nondescript. That's all I can think of to describe it- nondescript. The classes are nondescript, the teachers are nondescript, even my friends are nondescript today.

"Guess what? The state representative came over last night. Wanted a peak in the mirror." I say, pulling out the bento my mother carelessly threw together this morning. Plain rice, a chunk of meat, broccoli, and oranges. My lunch is nondescript.

"Is that so." Miku twirls a lock of hair, staring across the cafeteria. She's gazing at Kaito so longingly its pathetic.

The only person at this table interested in what I have to say is Rin, who looks up eagerly, her bright yellow eyes shining across the table. "A representative? Wow. What was his reaction?"

"He seemed really, disturbingly pleased." I reply.

"Hmm." Rin shakes her head, her blonde bob of hair whipping back and forth. "I'm just so curious…"

"We all are, Rin. We always will be. What did you get for thirteen?" Len asks from the opposite end of the circular table, adjusting his glasses. He speaks without glancing up from his pre-cal. "I'm a little mixed up on the methods we're supposed to use…"

That's us. The nerds all sitting at a table together, doing our homework and talking about curious mirrors.

When the bell rings, piercing our ears with its ugly sound, the others scurry off to their classes. But I stay behind with Len to clean up. We gather the scratch pieces of paper and disposable food containers, not saying a word to each other. Dozens of loud, obnoxious teenagers file past us, snickering at the two nerds on clean-up duty.

One stops behind Len and pours an entire bottle of melon soda down his shirt, making him yell in shock. I run to help, just in time to watch the culprit snicker and walk away.

Katsura Aoki.

When I turn back to Len, he's attempting to dry his shirt with a puny napkin. "God damn it." He mumbles. I stare at him. I've never heard him swear before.

"Who was that?" He asks me.

"Aoki. Who else?"

"Jeez." Len sighs, giving up on his shirt. "Well, we'd better get to English."

"Yeah." I say awkwardly. The meanest girl in school just dumped soda all over him, and he's not even phased. He leads the way out of the cafeteria, and my nondescript school day comes to a close.

"Mom, I'm home." I call, crossing the threshold and heaving my backpack onto the tiled floor. Gakupo mumbles a hello from the couch, but mother is nowhere in sight.

"Where's mom?" I ask, shuffling into the kitchen. A quick peek in the pantry reveals that all the leftovers are gone, and there's nothing desirable to eat.

"On the phone. Scheduling an appointment for tonight."

"Another?" I groan.

"Maybe it's the prime minister." Gakupo teases, flipping the page in his manga.

"I don't care if it is." I say. "It used to be just a few a month- remember those days? Now its at least five a week, and I'm going crazy."

"Don't be dramatic." Gakupo says from the couch. I can hear the eye roll in his tone. "You're not going crazy."

"I might as well be." I slam the cabinet door, upset by the lack of good food in this house. When dad was alive, the kitchen was always stocked with sweets, sodas, chips, and other junk. Now the closest thing we have to a snack is dried, salted edamame. Nondescript.

"I'm dying to know what it is about that mirror that makes it so-

I'm interrupted by the sound of feet pounding on the stairs. Within a few seconds, my mother has entered the kitchen, and the last words of my sentence evaporate.

"Hey kids." She says wearily, and ushers me out of the kitchen. She's going to attempt to cook something, which will be disastrous.

Gakupo sneaks off to his room to avoid any conversation with mom, and that leaves me downstairs, seated on the couch. I absently flip through his manga, which is some stupid shounen that I could care less about. For a second I consider calling one of my friends, but that would be so painfully awkward I dismiss the thought immediately. We have nothing to talk about.

"How was school, Gumi?" Mom calls through the large, cut-out window that connects the kitchen to the living room.

"Fine." _Nondescript._

"Good. There's a customer coming over in an hour, be polite, okay?"

"Mhm hmm." I recline on the cushions, staring at the ceiling. Why wouldn't I be?

Knock knock knock.

"That's her!" Mother jumps up from the kitchen table and races to the door to let the "customer" in. Gakupo and I glance at each other, eyebrows raised.

When the door opens in the front hall, voices flood into the kitchen. My mother's, and someone else's, who sounds vaguely familiar…

"Thank you, Mrs. Kamui, I'm very grateful…"

"Not at all, Aoki, just come right in…" 

Peering through the hole in my wall, I can't help but clench my fists a little. Katsura Aoki is _here_ in _my house_, looking in _my_ _mirror_ (well, not really my mirror, but whatever). I am more curious now than I ever have been. Who will the mirror show her? This evil girl doesn't deserve any entertainment from us.

I watch in silent fury as she sits down in front of the mirror, smoothing out her short skirt and fidgeting impatiently. At last her eyes widen, her breath quickens, and she leans forward to get a closer look at whatever the mirror is depicting. Eventually she stands up, shaking, and leaves the closet, slamming the door behind her.

I open my bedroom door a crack. Aoki is literally running down the stairs, almost stumbling over her own heels. I hear my mother call, "Ms. Katsura, are you alright?" Aoki doesn't reply and leaves, slamming the front door. When I run to the window and pop it open, I can hear her frightened sobs echoing all around the cul-de-sac.

I am sitting there, contemplating exactly what just happened, when the door bangs open. I whip around and Gakupo is standing there, out of breath, his eyes wide.

"Somehow," He pants, running a hand through his hair, "We have to find out what that thing does."


	3. The Aftermath

**Third chapter! Thanks for reading, and remember to please leave a review! I do not own Vocaloid.**

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><p>CHAPTER 3: THE AFTERMATH<p>

Aoki doesn't come to school for the rest of the week.

When I glance over at her usual lunch table, I see all of her friends looking lonely and pathetic, not speaking a word to each other.

"Freaky." Len says, in response to the story I just told him. "She must have seen something really bad."

"Mhm." I stare down at my hands, thinking about Gakupo. He wants us to hatch a plan tonight.

Rin leans forward on her elbows, completely abandoning her homework. "How much does it cost to see the mirror, anyway?" When we all stare at her, she shrugs innocently. "Just curious."

"800 yen." I reply in a monotone. I'm still thinking about Gakupo's determination to see the mirror, when the bell rings and I'm left sitting there once again, by myself.

I'm about to get up and grab my things, when four depressed-looking girls trudge over to me. "Oh damn." I mumble, standing up quickly.

"Wait, Gumi." One of them pleads, approaching me with hands clasped behind her back. I pause, waiting impatiently.

"We….that is, Aoki…" She sighs. "Aoki called me last night and told me she'd seen something horrifying. We were wondering if you knew what it was?"

"No." I shook my head. "Sorry, I was wondering the same."

"It was your damn mirror that caused her to be unhappy." Another girl chided in, glaring daggers at me. "That thing should be destroyed." 

After school, I am dragged to the park with Miku and Len, who insist on getting me away from the house for a while. My feet dangle over the tire swing as I wait for them to say something, but they don't. They just look at me with concern.

Exasperated, I eventually speak up. "Okay, what is it? I have lots of homework."

"We're…worried about you." Len replies uncomfortably, shifting on the picnic bench. Miku nods gravely. This annoys me. Miku hasn't even spoken to me in the past few days, let alone care enough to worry about me.

"Oh really?" I snap.

"Yeah." Len pushes his glasses up further on his nose. "The mirror is all you talk about."

"We think its unhealthy." Miku chimes in.

"Oh really." Now my voice is flat, and I twirl a blade of grass in between my fingers.

"Yes. And your dad died just eight months ago, but you didn't even talk to us about it-

"Okay." I stand up. "No. We're not opening that can of worms."

"I think we should." Len crosses his arms. "We're your best friends, shouldn't we be the first to know if something so traumatic has happened to you? Ever since then you've been like…like…"

"A vegetable." Miku volunteers, and Len nods.

I'm about to snap back something mean, when Len's phone beeps loudly. Sighing, he digs it out of his jeans pocket. We wait while he reads the screen, and I watch as his eyes get wider with every line.

He stands up quickly, looking at us with a strange expression.

"What? What is it?" Miku asks, frowning.

He grabs his backpack and throws it over his shoulders, tying his shoes as fast as he can. When he straightens up, he says, "Rin is going to look in the mirror." 

By the time I arrive at my house, its too late. I see Rin, in the driver's seat of her car, hunched over the wheel. Her shoulders are shaking violently, and she clutches her temples from some unseen headache.

I tap on the window, but she won't move from her position. I hear a faint, "Go to Hell!" followed by more sobs.

Eventually she stiffens up and gathers the strength to start the car. She backs out of the driveway, down the street and out of sight.

When I bang open the front door, I am livid. "Where's mom?" I yell, the words echoing around the strangely empty house. "Where the Hell is mom?"

I wait until she appears, peeking around the corner of the kitchen door, looking meek as a lamb.

"Mother." I say, my voice dangerously calm. "Did you see who that was?"

She nods slowly.

"Did you let her in, to see the mirror?"

Nod.

"You took the money and just let her upstairs?"

Nod.

I sit down slowly on the couch. "What did she see?"

"I…I don't know."

"What did _you_ see?" I snap. "What does anyone see?"

"I…I can't tell you…"

"Of course not." I hiss. There's a long silence, and then she pushes the door open further, coming out into the living room timidly. She stands there, her hands awkwardly at her sides, and says, "It didn't use to be like this."

I raise an eyebrow.

"It used to always be good visions. Never the bad ones. Never the frightening ones. But…but I think its getting annoyed…it doesn't want to perform for so many people…and its punishing me…" She sinks to the floor, and I stare at her wide-eyed.

"You're talking about it like its alive, mother." I say.

She just looks up at me.

And that's what does it.

"Okay." I stand up. "Give me the key. Give me the key right now."

"What? No!" She backs up against the wall. "Gumi, I-

"I'm going to look in that Goddamn mirror if it kills me. _Give me the key_."

I expect protests. I expect threats, punishments, being grounded for two months. What I don't expect is for my mother to stand up on shaky legs, fish around in her pocket, pull out an intricate brass key, and place it in my palm.


	4. The Mistake

**Chapter 4! Is everyone ready? Dum dum dummmm. Thanks for reading and keepin up with Gumi, guys. If you haven't already, please leave a review! I do not own Vocaloid, or the song Mosaic Roll, or any of that stuff.**

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><p>CHAPTER 4: THE MISTAKE<p>

The closet is dark, and stuffy. When I shut the door behind me I can barely see anything- with the exception of a metallic glint coming from the back wall.

There's a small stool placed conveniently in front of the mirror, and tentatively I ease onto it. For the longest time I just sit there, waiting. I don't know what I'm expecting. I don't know what's coming. All I can see is my own reflection- the wide blue eyes, the light green hair, the trembling fingers. My hands shake as I reach out and touch the mirror, but nothing happens.

Maybe it won't work for me.

I am getting up to leave when the mirror's glow begins to change color. It throws beams of red around the room, and frowning, I turn back to it. The surface is foggy and I don't see anything- or anyone- occupying it. I can't even see myself anymore.

Sighing, I turn to leave again. But when I try the doorknob, its locked. It won't budge.

"What the Hell…" I know for a fact that the closet doesn't have a lock on its door.

_Sit down._

I whip around and stare at the mirror. Impossible. I could have sworn that I heard a voice. But its only me in this room. And the voice…it sounded like…

_You wanted to see me, so sit down._

There's no mistaking it. It's a voice. And its my voice.

I approach the mirror with caution. The fog is clearing up, and a face is coming into view in the glass. It looks oddly familiar. When it smiles, its bright white teeth illuminate the room. And when it opens its eyes, I am stuck staring into their deep amber irises.

"Okay…"I close my eyes, gripping the edges of the stool. I breath in and out for a few minutes, until I am interrupted.

_Done yet? Jesus, you're pathetic.  
><em>My eyes snap open, and the girl is laughing at me. The yellow goggles on her head begin to slide down her silky black hair, but she pushes them up just in time. Then she stops chuckling and looks at me. I swear she's staring into my soul.

_So. Here we are. At last._

"Who are you?" I ask. I can't stand it anymore. Whenever I look into other people's visits with the mirror, they know immediately who it is they're seeing. But I've never seen this person before in my life.

_Of course you'd ask that, dumbass. Think about it. Who do I look like? _She does a little twirl in the mirror, and I stare determinedly at her. Her features, her voice, her hairstyle- exactly like mine. But the air she puts off, the way she carries herself, the way she's so quick to insult…

"Its like a warped version of me." I mumble. Unfortunately, she hears me.

_Warped?_! She cries in my head_. I don't think so. I think you're the warped one, for coming in here. Who did you expect to see?_

"I don't know. My dad?"

_You're all the same. You want to see your loved ones, see your friends. I'll allow that occasionally, but with certain people…_She shakes her head.

"Like Aoki."

_That bitch deserved what she saw. I showed her her true self. Wanna see? _Smiling cruelly, her face morphs into something hideous. I shriek as she grows horns, three more eyes, and develops a disgusting skin condition across her complexion. Somehow, under all the horrible features, she vaguely resembles Aoki. I can see what made Katsura so upset.

"Yeah, okay, I've seen enough." I say, grimacing. Grinning again, the thing twists back into the face of The Other Gumi.

"So what are you, then? My true self?"

_Oh, no. I'm…hmm, let's call me your Other Side. _

"My dark side."

_Hey now, that's a bit mean._ She smirks._ Don't make me punish you for such harsh words._

"You're just an image in a mirror."

_Am I?_ Her smirk widens. I stare at her for a few seconds, and then she continues.

_You know what? I like you. I'm going to show you something else. Special treat. Normally I only give people one vision per visit, but you get two, okay?_

Warily, I nod. Smiling, the other Gumi disappears and another image appears, once again blurry and vague. I squint at it, frowning, until it comes into focus.

I'm standing over a body lying on the ground. I can't see who it is, but I can see it has many wounds, because I stand in a puddle of dark blood. It's very disturbing, and I back up away from it.

"Who's hurt? Who is that?" I ask, kind of frantically. As if obeying my questions, the view zooms in on the body, and I shriek when I finally see who it is. 

It's Gakupo.


	5. The Rut

**And let the madness begin! Here's chapter 5, and thanks for reading! Please review if you get a chance :3 I do not own Vocaloid, Mosaic Roll, etc.**

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><p>CHAPTER 5: THE RUT<p>

BANG. The closet door slams behind me and I clutch my stomach, breathing heavily. Tears sting my eyes and my vision blurs. I sit there at the top of the stairs, crawling away from the dreaded closet one inch at a time.

Mother calls up from the living room, "Everything okay up there?"

She knows its not. She knows I'm not okay. I don't grace her with a reply, and instead crawl to my bedroom, the tears falling from my face like a heavy downpour. Gakupo. My brother, lying on the floor, covered in blood. Was he dead? Who hurt him? Fury boils up inside of me until I tell myself it was just a vision, only a vision.

The first thing I do when I calm down is call Len.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Len." I croak, trying to hide the sobs in my voice.

"Gumi! What's going on? I tried to call you a half an hour ago…" Is that how long I took? I shake my head. "Nothing. I'm okay. Len, is Rin alright?"

"Um…" He sighs. "Not really. She's shut herself in our room and won't unlock the door for anyone. She's not crying, just…silent. Completely silent."

Scary. At least I'm able to function. "Well….I just wanted to see how she's doing." Part of me longs to tell him what I just went through. But I know it would just bring him more stress, and what can he do to help anyway?

"Okay. Thanks. See you tomorrow," He says.

"Mhm. Oh, and Len?"

He waits patiently.

I sigh. "Just…don't go anywhere near that mirror. Got it?"

"Course not." I can hear the kind, reassuring smile in his voice. "Rin and I may be twins, but I tend to think things through, whereas she just…takes action."

"Okay. Great. Bye."

"Bye."

Still shaking a bit, I hug my knees and stare across the room. I can feel the hard brass key resting in my pocket, burning a hole in my conscience. For a second, I think about filling in the hole in my wall. I don't want to see or hear about that mirror ever again. But I know my curiosity will eventually take over, and I'll just want to open it up again.

I can't get the image of the other Gumi out of my head. Her cruel, laughing eyes, and her jet black hair. Even when I curl up under the covers and shut my eyes tightly, her face is still imprinted in my mind. I drift off to sleep, waking occasionally from chaotic nightmares, only to fall back under again.

Before I know it, I hear birds chirping, and sunlight streams in through the slits in my blinds. My alarm clock is beeping softly. Groaning, I throw the covers off- I notice that I slept in my uniform- and start getting ready.

When I step out of the house and get ready to walk to school, a strange sensation tugs at the pit of my stomach. I turn slowly and stare up at the big, lonely house. The mirror is calling me. It's calling me back. It wants to show me more horrifying visions. It longs for my presence.

I linger on the porch for the longest time, and then eventually pull myself away. Walking away is painful, like I am tugging on an invisible leash connecting me to the house. Even when I am two blocks away, my stomachache remains.

I spend all day thinking about it. My friends stare at me in concern, but no one dares ask what's wrong. Not after all the events that have happened this week. Rin is not at school, which makes lunch even quieter. Len offers me his cake, and I politely refuse with a shake of my head. I would take it, but my stomach is killing me. It won't be satisfied until I return home, I know.

Without asking permission, Len walks me home. He can sense there's something wrong. He tries to fill the silence with random conversation; talking about homework, dinner, anything. As we near my house, the pain in my stomach starts to ebb away, making me sigh with relief.

Len stops at the porch, patting my shoulder before hurrying off. I want to tell him I'm grateful for him, and what he's trying to do, but he's gone before I can open my mouth. I don't blame him. With what his sister is going through, he'll want to stay away from my house as much as possible.

Gakupo and Mom are in a conference with his teacher, which is most likely about his awful grades. So I have this stupid house all to myself tonight.

I make myself a rice omelet and eat it straight out of the pan. I read manga. I go through an entire season of my favorite show. I finish my Economics essay.

But even with all of this distraction, I can't ignore the pangs in my stomach that attack every thirty seconds.

I glance up, grimacing as another glimmer of pain tears across my abdomen. I stare at the dark space above the stairs that contains the linen closet.

I wouldn't dare.

…Would I?

I don't even have to wait for all the mystical crap. She appears immediately, smiling through the glass at my arrival. I shut the door behind me.

_Welcome back! I knew you'd come. I knew you couldn't resist._

"Yeah, well, its not exactly easy to ignore the cramps you've been sending me."

_Just a little reminder to keep me fresh in your mind. _She smirks again. The Other Gumi tends to smirk a lot, I've noticed.

"So are you going to explain that…image you showed me yesterday?" I wince, remembering the sickening dark blood pooling around Gakupo's lifeless body.

_There's nothing to explain, Gumi-chan. I showed you something that may or may not happen in the near future. It might just be a vision. It might become a reality. You'll just have to wait and see. _She winks, which makes me want to grab her by her nonexistent throat._ Any other questions_? She giggles, which is a horrible sound.

"Yeah. What did you show Rin?"

_Rin? Oh, the little blonde chick. She was really getting on my nerves, so I scared her a bit to get her out. _The Other Gumi rolls her eyes, and I glare at her.

"What did you show her? Show me."

_Okay, if you're sure…_

"I'm sure."

_Tadaaa. _And the Other Gumi morphs into…Len, of all people. Just a normal image of Len's adorable face. I frown, wondering what's so scary, when suddenly…

BAM. A bullet wound appears in Len's forehead, and blood drips down his face, covering his clever features, and splattering his glasses. He struggles for a few minutes, grimacing and sobbing, but eventually he freezes, his eyes half-open, and stops moving.

I yell, jumping up and turning away. I can't look at it anymore. His blood-soaked expression of pure agony breaks my heart. I have to chant in my head, 'It's just an image. Not a reality. Just a picture.' But it's so realistic…

I feel tears leaking down my face once again. Determined not to let the Other Gumi make fun of me, I wipe them away. I bravely turn back to the mirror. Thankfully, Len is gone, and Gumi is back.

_There ya go. You asked for it._ She shrugs. _That Rin sure does love her brother. I think that vision scarred her for life. _And as if she's said something funny, she chuckles. Then, seeing my expression, she stops. She frowns.

_You seemed pretty disturbed too. You like that kid?_

"Well, he's my friend." I say, my throat tight.

_Ah. Are you sure? Just a friend?_

"…Yes." I frown. "Why do you care?"

_I'm not heartless._

I laugh bitterly. "Of course you're not."

_Hey, let's not forget here. I'm _you._ I'm a different- slightly better- version of you. _

"Whatever." I look down at my hands. I refuse to believe it. She's claiming we're two sides of the same person. I'm Gumi. She's not. There's no way I'm this…this monster.

_I think your mommy's home. Better go give her a kiss and tell her how your school day went._ Other Gumi taunts, smirking again. _Go on. Tell her everything's going to be alright._

I hear a car door slam in the distance. She's right, and if mom catches me in here again, she'll start to get worried. I stand up, giving Other Gumi one last glare. She winks back, and disappears, saying, _I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of each other, Gumi…._

Unfortunately, I think she's right.


	6. The Past

**Chapter 6, voila! Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone :D It keeps me updating, so if you haven't reviewed, please do!**

**(In the real world, unfortunately, I do not own Vocaloid. usu.)**

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><p>CHAPTER 6: THE PAST<p>

The next few days are the start of my new routine.

Wake up. Take three advil for the pangs in my stomach. The advil doesn't help. Eat a single piece of toast because I can't take much more. Go to school. Fall asleep in at least two of my classes because I stayed up all night thinking about the mirror. Go to lunch. Eat half of what mom packed me, because my stomach feels like its been infested with flesh eating worms. Participate in little of our tables' conversation. Grieve over the absence of Rin, who's in therapy. Go to the rest of my classes. Walk home with Len, who doesn't even try to keep up conversation, so we walk in silence. Enter my house. Eat a brief snack. Do homework until Mom leaves for the store, or a friend's house, or a conference. Head upstairs. Go into the closet. Stomach pain goes away.

I can't just stop seeing her. If I do, either the pain will kill me, or the curiosity will. She just has so much to say, so much to show me. I've seen the future of the world- devastation, war, countries torn apart by politics. I've seen the results of global warming. The sun burning out. And death, so much death.

You could say its an unhealthy rut I've fallen into. You'd probably be right.

One night I'm sitting in my room doing my homework, when Gakupo comes in. I've been waiting for him and mom to leave so I can see Other Gumi and relieve my stomach. But annoyingly, he wants to talk to me first.

"I'm worried about you, Gumi." He says, crossing his long legs and leaning against my bed frame. "Your grades are dropping. They used to be so important to you."

"They are." I say without looking up from my English essay. "I'm doing homework now, see."

"Sure, but mom says you got a D in science last quarter-

"Oh, so now you're mom's little snoop, are you?" I snap. Gakupo was always on my side before. What does he care about grades? He's the one with Fs in practically every subject.

"No, I'm just worried about you." He replies sternly. "And look at you. Are you eating?"

"God, of course I'm eating!" I look up, glaring. "Why are you being so annoying?"

Sighing, he gives up, and leaves the room. Finally.

Weeks pass. The visions Gumi show me get increasingly frightening. She says I can handle the bigger stuff now. She shows me the prime minister being assassinated. An entire city falls into the earth when a crack opens up in the ground. The president of the United States kills himself.

One evening when I'm sitting in the closet, shaking after a particularly disturbing image, Gumi reappears and says _I wish I could stop it all. I really do._

"No you don't." I say, rolling my eyes. "You think its fun, to scare people with these images, but you don't actually want to do anything about it."

_Yes I do_. She nods sincerely._ But look at it this way. All these idiots in government spending money on new schools, new technologies, new developments in medicine. When they should be trying to bring about peace to the world. The latest phone model won't matter in the end, will it? We're all going to Hell._

"Wow. That is so optimistic."

_I would help if I wasn't trapped in this damn mirror._ She blows a chunk of black hair out of her eyes and sighs deeply. I'm not sure what she's getting at, but I stand up and leave the closet. As it usually goes, I've had enough of her and I leave when I feel like it.

Dinner that night consists of cold spaghetti and a hastily thrown together salad. I push it around on my plate in disgust. While Mom pours diluted green tea into everyone's mugs, I ask a question that's been on my mind for a while.

"Mom, how did we get the mirror?"

She almost drops the pitcher, yelling when some of it splashes onto the tile. I wait patiently until she's cleaned it up and pulled herself together. Then she sits down, gripping the table edges with shaky fingers. "Why would you ask that, Gumi?"

"I'm just curious. Did you buy it, or did you inherit it, or-

"It came with the house." She says shortly, cutting me off. My eyebrows rise. "Really? Wow. So, the previous owners just forgot it, and now we have it?"

"I don't think they forgot it." Gakupo mutters darkly, shoving slimy noodles into his mouth.

I frown at him. "What?"

"What Gakupo means is…the previous owners probably didn't…want it." Mom explains uncomfortably, shifting in her chair.

"Who were the previous owners?"

"This house hasn't been occupied for a very long time. We have no way of knowing who lived here before, unless we go to the Hall of Records, and I see no need to." Mom says.

Well, I see a need to.

"Why are we here again?" Len complains as I drag him along another corridor.

"Because we're going to look at the Hall of Records. I want to find out as much about the mirror as I can." I reply, glancing at a sign that points left. I follow it.

"Then why am _I _here? You do realize its 9:30 at night." Len groans.

"Because you're smart, and I need help finding what I'm looking for." At last, we've reached it. The Hall of Records. I look around for a few seconds at its vastness- its massive bookshelves, its millions of cabinets.

Len goes straight to the kiosk on the wall.

"Okay. We want all records of your address…" He types my exact address into the word bank. I'm surprised he remembers it.

A few results pop up. "We want this one." Len mutters to himself, tapping the second one labeled "1965". The kiosk says we can find this information in bookshelf M4.

Five minutes later we are reading deeds, wills, and anything else to give us information about the mirror. I can't make sense of any of it, but Len seems to understand.

"So far," He says, flipping the pages of a phone record. "We know that the previous owners lived in your house from 1965 to 1968."

"Only three years? Weird." I say.

"Yeah. It gets weirder. In 1968 they made 14 calls to the police, all in the month of November."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. They made one call to the police on the 3rd, and then thirteen more calls on the 21st. They moved out on the 24th." Len looks up at me, frowning. "Why do you think they made so many calls? Surely the police answered on the first ring…"

"But maybe," I say, something starting to form in my mind, "Maybe the police didn't believe what they were hearing."

Len's eyes widen. "The mirror?"

I nod. "The mirror."

"It says here," Len pulls out three death certificates, brandishing them in front of me. "That three of the family members died of natural causes ten years later, but one of them killed himself a year after they moved. The autopsy says he had lots of damage to the stomach and the brain, even before he shot himself."

I rest my head on my fists, thinking. I can't tie it all together, but I know somehow, its all related to the mirror.

"And this record says-

"Len." I say, interrupting him. He pushes up his glasses, inclining his head.

"Can we stop for now? I think I've heard enough." I say uncomfortably. He hesitates, but then nods. I can tell he wants to read more, but I just can't take much more.

When I arrive home, mom is at her crocheting club. Gakupo is out with friends. It's the perfect opportunity. Yet something makes me walk straight past the closet, step into my room, and sleep for the rest of the night.


	7. The Decision

**Voila! Chapter 7- whew that took me a while to finish up. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy! And just to reassure all you lovely readers- Gumi is not going to die. That's all I will tell you for now. :) Please review, and for the 7th time, I do not own Vocaloid or Mosaic Roll.  
><strong>

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><p>CHAPTER 7: THE DECISION<p>

One week after she looked into the mirror, Rin is back at our lunch table. She's swarmed by people, both friends and strangers, asking if she's okay, and how therapy went. After I've said hello, I sit on the opposite end of the table in seclusion. Because every time I look at Rin, it just reminds me that it was my mirror, my family, that did this to her.

Len slides down into the seat next to me, dropping the tray of gray cafeteria food down in front of him. I glance up briefly and mumble a greeting. He gets straight to the point.

"I did a little more research after we left, on my laptop."

"Yeah? What'd you get?" I ask, pushing my lunch away from me.

He frowns, and pushes it back in front of me. "Eat. Anyway, you're probably not going to like it."

"Just tell me." I say, rolling my eyes as I push the food away again.

Len pushes it back. "Well, I thought there might be a connection between the guy that killed himself in 1968 and…um…"

"And what?"

"Your dad." He says uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes. "So I, uh, looked up your dad's autopsy and apparently he had the same stomach and brain damage that the other guy did."

My immediate response is to be filled with rage. I open my mouth to yell at him, but Len holds his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, I was curious. Wouldn't you want to know if this mirror was the cause of your dad's death?"

I close my mouth.

"Anyway, I get the feeling that this mirror is_ really_ bad news." Len continues, placing a sandwich in my hand and gesturing to my mouth. "We should probably just avoid it from now on. No more research."

"Mhm." I mumble, taking a tiny bite of the sandwich and staring at the table.

"At least you're smarter than Rin." He says, looking at Rin with a hint of contempt. "I can't believe she put us through that. Scared me half to death."

I sink lower in my seat.

"Tell me about 1968." I say, sliding onto the stool and shutting the closet door.

_Well hello to you too._ She glares at me, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, hey. Anyway, tell me what you did in 1968 that made a man commit suicide."

_1968? Do I look that old? _

"You mean you weren't there?"

_Of course not, idiot. I'm you. You weren't alive in 1968, so neither was I._

Then what did he see in the mirror? What did my dad see?

_I can guess, though._ Other Gumi adds.

"Guess what?"

_He probably saw the other side of himself, realized how horrible it was, and shot himself.  
><em> "Huh? But, I…"

_You're stronger than he was. Pathetic little baby._

"So my father was a pathetic little baby too, then, hmm?" I lean forward, my eyes narrowing.

She hesitates. _Your father?_

"Don't play dumb. What did he see, huh?"

_Okay, listen. I'm telling the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The mirror isn't what killed your father. In fact, the visions he got were happy. Joyful. Pleasurable. _

"But…he had stomach and brain damage…" I protest, shaking my head.

She rolls her eyes. _So do you, Gumi. So do you._

The next day is a Saturday. It rains, causing one of those beautifully miserable mornings where you want to go outside, but don't. I'm doing my Pre-cal when something hits my window with a loud THUMP. I screech and almost fall off my chair.

Striding to the window, I pull back the curtain and stare out into the rain. Glancing down, I find the source of the noise. Len. Standing under an umbrella. Holding a large rock.  
>Eyes wide, I sling a coat over my shoulders and run out to meet him. "What are you doing here?" I cry, ducking under his bright yellow umbrella. We are very close now, just inches apart. I should have brought my own umbrella; I feel quite embarrassed now.<p>

He doesn't answer my question immediately. His eyes rake up and down my body, and frowning, he asks, "Are you feeling alright? You've lost a lot of weight. Like…not in a good way."

My fists clench. "Gee, thanks. Now tell me- why are you in my driveway?"

Still skeptical of my frail frame, he says, "Rin wants to see you."

The Kagamine residence is the exact opposite of my own. It's bright, luxurious, and cheerful. The walls are painted with light pastel colors. The fireplace is lit almost all winter, casting a glowing warmth around the house. Their parents are always home, always cooking something delicious, always supporting their children's efforts.

As soon as I cross the threshold I don't want to leave.

"She's upstairs," Len shakes out his umbrella and leans it against the wall. "Come on." And he grabs my hand, tugging me up the stairs.

We come to one of two doors painted in bright yellow. Len doesn't even have to knock before a faint voice calls, "Come in." We tiptoe in and find Rin reclined on her bed, reading a novel.

She sits up, smiling. "Gumi!" Hopping off the bed, she runs to hug me. I return the embrace awkwardly, still feeling guilty about her condition.

When she pulls away, she turns to her brother. "Out, please."

Grumbling, he leaves. Rin waits to make sure he's gone, and then locks the door, to my surprise.

"Sit down," She points a chair positioned across from her bed. Frowning, I notice her voice has changed in seconds. It's no longer vapid and happy- its stern and scolding.

Cautiously I take a seat. She plops down across from me and crosses her arms. For a minute we just stare at each other.

At last, she clears her throat, and speaks. "I usually have pretty good hunches, Gumi. I'm great at guessing. Perfect intuition."

"Um…okay."

"And right now I have a hunch that there's something going on with you."

I squirm uncomfortably. "Do you."

"Mhm." She narrows her eyes. "That mirror is bad news, Gumi."

My eyes dart up. "Mirror? Who said anything about-

"You need to stay away from it. Look what its doing to you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really. So you haven't lost like 7 pounds in a week, and you've been eating perfectly, and you're grades are still all A's?"

"Yep."

"Really." Her eyes narrow further and we stare at each other for a few moments of silence.

She leans back, sighing. "I want to help you, Gumi. My therapist was really great-

"I don't need a damn therapist!"

I'm surprised at how loud my voice is. I didn't mean to yell. But its done, and now Rin is looking at me with wide eyes.

I stand up to leave. "Don't act like you know what's best for me, Rin." And before I know it, I'm saying something I didn't even mean to say. "I agree with her, you are annoying as Hell.."

"Her? Who's Her?" Rin leans forward.

I don't reply. I grab my jacket and storm out of her room. Len, who was standing by the door eavesdropping the entire time, jumps back in surprise as I run past him, down the stairs and out the front door.

Tears and water droplets drip down my face as I tear down the street. The rain beats me mercilessly until I'm safely under my own porch, shaking from anger and the cold. The only place I can find comfort now is a dark and dank closet at the top of the stairs.

_They're just jealous._ Other Gumi says, shaking her head. _Just ignore them. You're fine, aren't you?_

"Yeah." I say angrily. "I'm fine. Everybody's being so paranoid…"

_They think I'm not good for you. They couldn't be more wrong. In fact, I was just about to recommend we start seeing each other more often. _She smiles kindly.

"We can't do that; I have school. I've been coming as often as I can." I say, shaking my head.

_I wasn't talking about _this _kind of seeing each other_. Her smile widens._ If you give me permission, I can appear in a more substantial form. _

"Substantial…?" I frown. "I don't know what you mean."

_It's hard to explain. It'd be better if I could show you._

"Well…I don't know…" If Dad were alive, he'd tell me to always read the fine print. He was such a good lawyer, and could find any loophole to anything.

_But your dad isn't alive, Gumi._ She says, startling me. I stare at her. _He killed himself. He took himself away from you. He's not there for you anymore._

That's true. He's gone. He could have stuck around to see me and Gakupo grow up. He could have been there at my wedding, at the birth of my child. But no.

_Selfish, selfish._ Other Gumi shakes her head, watching me carefully.

My fists are closed and shaking. I picture all the great times I had with him when I was little. Baking mom's birthday cake. Going to the Kagamines' for playdates while Dad and Mr. Kagamine played pool. He tried to give me fencing lessons for a while, but gave up and just took me to the arcade.

I wipe the tears away quickly, look Other Gumi straight in the eyes, and say, "What do I have to do?"

* * *

><p><strong>Happy New Year to everyone! Gumi advises everyone not to drive drunk, but Dark Gumi says do whatever you want! (It's probably best not to listen to Dark Gumi.)<strong> **Wow, the next time I post a chapter it will be 2012! See you all next year!  
><strong>


	8. The Ally

**Heyy everyone! So sorry I haven't posted a chapter in so long, compared to my normal updating speed. But school is back, and big important tests draw nigh...**  
><strong>Anyway if you don't remember where we left off I suggest you reread chapter 7. Cause now its gonna start to get crazy, friend. Just sayin. READ ON! First chapter of 2012. And, guess what? Even though its a brand new year, I STILL don't own Vocaloid! Surprise, surprise.<strong>

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><p>CHAPTER 8: THE ALLY<p>

"Gumi. Gumi, are you listening?" The World History teacher leans forward, eyes narrowing. I look up at her with innocent eyes. "Of course I was. You asked about the U.S.A's government."

"And? Can you tell us about it?"

"Um…" I sift through the information crammed in my mind. All I can think of is the president killing himself, which, according to Gumi, will happen in seven months. I can see it perfectly in my head. He locks himself in the Blue Room, having tricked his bodyguards into leaving the building. Pulls the trigger. Blood splatters everywhere. The Blue Room becomes the Red Room.

"Gumi, are you alright? You're very pale."

I glance up again, shaking my head. "Actually, may I be excused to the restroom?"

"Eh…I suppose." She sighs. "But when you get back, you're telling me everything you know about America's government."

Once in the restroom, I splash cold water in my face and breathe heavily. I have a pounding headache and my hands can't seem to stop shaking. At least my stomach no longer hurts. I can eat now. Not that I want to.

"Aww, is ickle Gumi not feeling so good?" A voice croons in my ear. I snap up, turning to glare at the intruder. She smirks, and then turns to stare in the mirror.

"Oh, just look at us." She throws an arm around me. It's a strange sensation- her arm isn't entirely there, but I can sort of feel it resting on my shoulders.

I do look at us. Our identical hair styles-one black, one green. Our eyes, exactly the same save for the colors of the irises. Our small button noses. Our congruent school uniforms (except hers is black with yellow trim).

"Its nice to have a friend exactly like you, isn't it?" She asks, snickering. I find it strange that her voice is no longer only in my head. She rolls her shoulders and stretches her arms. "It is _so_ good to be out of that mirror, Gumi, you have no idea. Thank you."

I mumble something that might sound like a 'your welcome'. Then I bend down and splash some more cold water on my face.

"Ooh, is this where you and all of your friends sit?" Other Gumi asks, taking the seat to my right at our lunch table. Len takes the one to my left. I glance at him nervously, but he obviously can't see her.

"He's cute." She whispers in my ear, gesturing to Len. I glare at her. She winks.

We both watch as Len pulls out his Pre-Cal and gets to work immediately, ignoring his food.

"Such a nerd. But, I can see why you like him." Other Gumi nudges me.

"Just shut up." I mumble. Len glances up, eyebrows raised.

"Not you, Len." I say hastily. He awkwardly looks away. The Kagamines are still mad at me for running out on them yesterday. I would apologize, but with Other Gumi in earshot, I don't really want to say much of anything.  
>The day passes nondescriptly, and its all I can do not to collapse in the hallway from Other Gumi's excessive chattering. She's seen so much, and wants to tell me ALL of it.<br>When I get home, Mother and Gakupo are watching a documentary together. They completely ignore me as I traipse upstairs, weighed down by a heavy backpack and Other Gumi's presence.

She follows me into my room and lounges on my bed. It occurs to me that she might refuse to leave, and the horrifying thought enters my mind that she might _never_ leave. She might insist on staying with me every second of the day.

Just as this is dawning on me, however, Other Gumi pops up from the bed and says, "Someone's at the door."

We go back downstairs and I peek in the window by the front door. It's Len, coming up the sidewalk.

I open the door immediately after he knocks. He jumps a bit in surprise, and then clears his throat. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I frown. "Sure."

"Like…" He peers behind me. "In private? Out here?"

For a second I think he can see Other Gumi, who stands just behind my shoulder. Then I realize he's referring to Mom and Gakupo.

"Oh, okay." I close the door behind me, making Other Gumi shout in protest as I leave her behind.

We look at each other for a few minutes, Len scratching his head. At last, as a blush slowly creeps across his face, he blurts, "Doyouwantogotoamovie?"

"Um…" I blink. "What?"

"I said do you want to go to a movie. With me. Saturday?" He shrugs, and turns redder.

My eyes widen, and my heart starts racing involuntarily. Thoughts of Other Gumi, of my family, and my impending homework evaporate in an instant. There is only Len. Len, who's always been there for me. Talking to me when no one else does. Helping me with homework. Walking me home. Being concerned for my health. Going to the Archives with me in the dead of night. I had a small crush on him when we were freshmen, but it was completely unrequited, and I gave up in less than a week. Miku is always trying to set me up with other boys at school, but it never works out. And here is Len, standing on my porch, asking something I thought I'd never hear him ask, not in a million years.

All of this flashes through my mind in less than a second, and I blurt out a quiet, "Yes."

"Really?" His eyes widen too. It's almost as if he's surprised I didn't reject him. "Great! Great." He clears his throat and adjusts his blue school tie. "I found one that looks good, showing at 7:00 on Saturday. I'll pick you up?"

"Sure." I nod, still slightly dazed. Grinning, Len nods back, and darts away.

When I step back into the house, my head reeling, Other Gumi leans against the doorframe. "You guys are so damn quiet, I couldn't hear a thing." She whines, and I hold back a sigh of relief.

"What did he say? Did he proclaim his undying love for you?" She snickers. I don't grace her with an answer, and brush past her up the stairs to my room. She follows.

As I attempt an essay on the themes of Macbeth, Other Gumi talks. And talks. And talks. She thinks I'm listening, but really I'm 1. Deciding whether the real villain was Macbeth or his wife, and 2. Trying to slow down my heartbeat. It's strange what your body does when a boy asks you out.


	9. The Descending

**Jeez, it's been a while! Unfortunately, I don't really have a good excuse this time for taking so long. School? Band? ...Trying to figure out where exactly I want this story to go? xD Well anyway, sorry for the delay (I hope I haven't lost anyone along the ride) and here is chapter 8! It's the longest one so far, and hopefully a great one!**

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><p>CHAPTER 8: THE DESCENDING<p>

First thing Friday morning I am swarmed by teenage girls.  
>"How did he ask you?" "Where are you going?" "Did he kiss you?" "Why <em>you<em>?" "Why _him_?"  
>The group is mostly composed of my friends- Miku, Teto, Lily,etc. But others are there too, like Meiko, Aoki, and some of their posse. Rin stands with them as well, but does not ask questions; I assume her brother told her everything.<br>I look Aoki in the eyes and say firmly, "No comment. Back off."  
>Maybe its Len who's given me this newfound confidence. I smile a bit. He'll be good for me. He's changing me already.<br>"No he's not, idiot." A voice says in my ear. "I am."  
>I whip around. The only person behind me is Teto, who's putting up her pigtails. "What did you say?" I demand. She frowns. "What? I didn't say anything."<p>

At lunch, there is a different feeling in the air. Len sits next to me, only closer, it seems. Our hands almost touch. Miku and Rin keep looking at us, but I keep my eyes downward. Five minutes into lunch, Kaito comes and takes the empty seat to my right, the one I always save for Other Gumi. Oh no. I turn to him, about to ask him to move, but then I catch the look in Miku's eyes. I know she's been in love with him since 6th grade. To send him away would make me seem pretty bitchy. I just go back to eating my sandwich.  
>"Hey, you're eating." Len says quietly, smiling. I look down at the sandwich, not believing it myself.<br>"I am." I smile back.  
>"Feeling better?"<br>"Well, yesterday helped." I say, before I can stop myself. Then I blush and cast my eyes downward again. Len blushes as well and we are silent for the next few minutes.  
>Lunch continues smoothly, until I catch movement in the corner of my right eye, and turn my head slightly. Other Gumi stands directly behind Kaito, fuming. If looks could kill, Kaito would be chopped into pieces, resurrected, and then throttled to death.<br>"Um…Kaito, could you maybe go share a seat with Miku? I'm…sick, and I don't want to ruin your good health." I say hastily. He looks at me with a raised eyebrow, but shrugs and moves to Miku's side of the table. I see her blush as he asks to share a seat with her. She shoots me a look of pure gratitude, and at the same time, Other Gumi whispers, "That's my girl."

Other Gumi will not leave my side for the rest of the day. This is especially bad because on the way to Earth Sciences, Len casually holds out his hand. An invitation. I reach out to grasp it, but Other Gumi is faster. She slams her ghostly fist into Len's hand, and he jumps, startled. We both stare at his hand.  
>"What's wrong?" I ask innocently, staring at him worriedly. Did he really feel it? How is that possible?<br>"Call me crazy," Len says, "But I swear something just hit my hand. See?" He holds out his palm, and upon further inspection, I see a small red mark in the center of it. It's slowly fading, but its there.

I wake up at 8:00 in the morning on Saturday, only to remember that there's no school today, and that my date with Len isn't for another 11 hours. I fail in all attempts to go back to sleep, so I crawl out of bed and sneak downstairs. Maybe I can catch a rerun of Bakuman that I missed yesterday.  
>Other Gumi is already reclining on the leather couch when I reach the living room. She nods at me and then goes back to surfing channels.<br>"How can you do that?" I ask, shaking my head as she presses the buttons on the remote with ease. "I thought you weren't a solid form."  
>"I'm not." She says, smirking. "I borrowed some of your energy. You were sleeping, so you didn't need it."<br>"You…you borrowed…" I blink. I don't know what she's talking about, but I don't like it. "Well…don't do it again." Glaring, I plop down next to her. When I glance at the TV, it's as if she read my mind- the opening to Bakuman 2 blasts through the speakers.

"So…..date tonight, huh?" Other Gumi asks quietly when it cuts to a commercial.  
>"Um…yeah." I say awkwardly. She's silent for a few minutes, and then says, "What should I do while you're gone?" I shrug.<br>"Just sit in your room and wait patiently?" I can hear the venom in her voice.  
>"You can…read my manga." I suggest.<br>"Fun." She says sarcastically, cranking up the volume with angry fingers as the show returns. I don't know what her problem is, but I can guess.  
>"You don't want me to leave?" I say quietly. She looks at me sideways, her expression dangerous. "Psh. Like I need<em> you<em>. Go have fun, whatever. What movie are you going to see?"  
>"I don't know. He's buying our tickets."<br>"How chivalrous." She sneers. Then, glancing behind her shoulder, and all around the living room, she says, "Hey, where's mom?"  
>A shiver runs through me. At first, I don't know why, and then I realize…<br>She called her "mom".  
>"Uh…<em>my<em> mom is out with her friends." I put a big emphasis on the word "my".  
>"Oh, cool. So we can just watch anime all day. No chores."<br>"I never do chores anyway."  
>"Why not?"<br>"Mom's mildly OCD. She likes to do everything herself or it isn't perfect."  
>"That's…weird." Other Gumi raises an eyebrow and turns back to Bakuman. "Go make some lunch or something, Gumi, I'm starving."<br>Glaring malevolently at the back of Other Gumi's head, I move to the kitchen. Starting the rice cooker, I can't help but stare hopefully out the window. Maybe Len will come early and take me away from the thing on the living room couch.

At 1:00 Gakupo comes downstairs. He's always been an expert at sleeping in, and it doesn't surprise me when he asks what's for breakfast.  
>"Shut up and sit down. You missed breakfast and lunch, and I'm not cooking anything else." I say, turning up the volume on what is now Guilty Crown. Gakupo moves to sit right on top of Other Gumi, but I quickly cry, "No! The other side!"<br>Frowning at me, he obeys. Other Gumi shrugs. "I wouldn't have minded." She whispers, "He's hot."  
>Trying not to barf, I recline on the couch; sandwiched in between two people I've known my whole life.<p>

An hour before Len is due to arrive, I dig through my closet to find something to wear. Eventually, with no help from the snide Other Gumi, I come across a decent blue top and slimming jeans. I slip them on and stare at myself in the mirror mounted on the wall.

It's the first time I've really looked at myself for a while. Now I see what everyone else sees. My extremely skinny body scares me. I can see my ribs when I lift up the blue shirt. My chest used to be normal sized, but now it looks flatter somehow.  
>"Stress burns calories." Other Gumi says from behind my shoulder. I turn around, frowning. "Stress?"<br>"You just need to chill. Oh, and also, eat more."  
>I look at my stomach again. I try to gather a handful of fat like I used to be able to do, but I can't. I suppose that's a good thing.I've been wanting to slim down.<br>"How do I look?" I ask tentatively, doing a little girly turn. Other Gumi inspects me carefully.  
>"Here." She steps forward and paints some dark mascara on my eyelashes. "Sexy."<br>Now I look more like her. "Thanks, I guess."  
>"No problem. If only you had a yellow top, and black pants..." She trails off, gesturing to her own outfit. I roll my eyes, about to reply, when the doorbell echoes throughout the house.<br>"Oh, damn. He's here." I say nervously, patting down my hair. "You're sure I look okay?"  
>Other Gumi looks thoroughly annoyed now. "Just get the hell out of here. You look perfect, as always. Go meet your prince." She flops on my bed, opening a novel of manga.<br>I frown at her, shrug, and head downstairs.

He stands on the porch, looking as nervous as I do, holding a single yellow rose.  
>"Hi." I say, smiling awkwardly. He smiles back. "Hey. I got you, um...yeah." He holds out the rose.<br>When I see its bright yellow petals, I hesitate a bit. "What made you pick yellow?" I say, kind of frantically.  
>"Um...I don't know. I just like yellow, so I thought..." He blushes, looking at his shoes, and I want to slap myself. Of course he wasn't thinking of Other Gumi.<br>"Well, ready to go? My parents have to give us a ride, because I failed my driving test." He chuckles, and I grin. "Really? Careful, cautious Len failed his driving test?"  
>"I wanted to turn on the radio, and the instructor said no, but I did it anyway." He shrugs. I laugh. He's so adorable.<br>He hooks his arm in mine as we head out to his car.

The movie is action-packed. It's not really my thing, but its obviously Len's. When I look over at him during an intense sword fight, his golden eyes are big and bright. I smile and place my am on the arm rest, palm up. He looks down at it, hesitant, and then slowly slips his fingers in mine.  
>I am content to sit there holding his hand, for the rest of the movie, until my fingers are numb. Its so nice just to have someone else's skin in contact with yours. Just as I am about to lean my head on his shoulder, I feel something grab my other hand and interlace their fingers with mine.<br>I jump, looking to my right. Other Gumi smiles and turns back to the movie.  
>I bolt out of my seat, yanking my arms out of Len and Other Gumi's hands. Len looks up, frowning, a little hurt. "What's wrong?"<br>People in the seats above us are complaining, shouting, "Sit down!" I don't care. I'm just freaking out. Why the Hell is she here?  
>"What are you doing here?" I hiss in her direction, hoping Len doesn't think I'm crazy.<br>"I was lonely." She pouts. "Besides, you know you can't live without me." Smirking, she reclines in the chair, and motions for me to sit back down  
>"Um, actually, I was perfectly fine." I can't help it, my voice is rising. Len is staring at me, bewildered. "And I think you're the one who can't live without me. Get up!" I wave my arms, gesturing for her to stand up and leave. Len stands up, frowning. "Gumi, I..."<br>"Not you!" I say, exasperated. Not knowing how to explain this, I choose the best solution: I run out of the theater.

Sitting on a bench, my heart rate way higher than it should be, I clutch my temples. Breathe in, out. Why is she here? Why? Can't I have one evening to myself, in peace, with my boyfriend? Can't I enjoy holding some one's hand without _her_ being there to look on in contempt?  
>I am about to call Gakupo to come pick me up, when two small yellow shoes step into view. I glance up. Len runs a hand through his hair and looks at me. Its a look of pity, concern, and just plain confusion.<br>"Gumi, I don't know what's going on, but I want you to know I'm here. Okay?" He says awkwardly.  
>I shake my head slowly. Other Gumi walks up and leans on Len, propping her invisible elbow on his shoulder. I glare at her and go back to clutching my temples.<br>"I'm really worried about you. You've lost so much weight. You're always staring into space, and just now...it was like you were in another world. Please." Len crouches down so that he's eye level with me. I look up a bit and I am lost in his golden eyes.  
>"Please tell me what I can do to help you." Len whispers. Other Gumi sticks out her tongue at him, and sits down on the bench next to me.<br>"Aw, poor wittle Gumi. She can't handle herself." Then she bends forward and hisses in my ear, "I'm a side of you that you can't live without, like it or not. There's no getting rid of me. Just accept it, and everything will be okay."  
>I shake my head again, more rapidly.<br>"I'm not just a ghost following you around. I'm _inside _you. We're stuck together until we die. I'm a part of you, Gumi."  
>The cinema is quiet. The only sound comes from the popcorn machine, humming softly behind the concession counter. All of the employees have either left or are smoking in the bathroom. It's just Len, me...and me. And I realize that she's right. I can spend my whole life freaking out about it, or I can just accept Gumi into my life. Not Other Gumi. Just Gumi. There is only Gumi. I wonder how it took me so long to see this.<p>

I look at Gumi, and then I look at Len. "I'm okay." I say, straightening up and releasing my head. "Seriously. I'm fine. Just not feeling so . Can you take me home?"  
>Frowning, not quite convinced, Len flips open his phone.<p>

I think Gumi is satisfied with how the evening turned out, so she allows Len to give me a kiss on the cheek before I exit his car. He waves goodbye through the glass, the look of concern still marking his face. It's okay, I want to tell him. I know now. I know I just have to deal with it.

Gakupo looks up from his manga. I'm surprised he's still awake. A part of me wonders if he stayed up just for me.  
>"How was the date?" He teases.<br>"It was..." I look at Gumi, and she smirks. "Interesting."

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><p><strong>By the way, even though I'm busy , there's one thing that reminds me to write and keeps me going- REVIEWS! So please, leave one. Go on, do ittt. :) And thanks for reading!<strong>


	10. The Smothering

**Morning, Everyone!**

**I know, I know. I'm so sorry I went on a short hiatus without telling you, but things just got so busy, and frankly, ideas just weren't coming to me for this story. But now that school is out and I have hours of free time every day, I'm determined to finish it by the end of this month. So please keep reading, and keep reviewing!**

**P.S. Because I updated word, the text is in a more blocked, paragraph form. Do you all like it better this way, or do you want to go back to the old, double spaced way? **

**Thanks, enjoy!**

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><p>CHAPTER 10: THE SMOTHERING<p>

"Gumi? Donut?" Mother holds out the plate of crullers directly in front of my nose. It's delicious smell wafts up into my nostrils, almost too rich for my senses. I grimace and push it away.  
>"No thanks. I had breakfast."<br>"No you didn't." Gakupo says from the other end of the table. "You had a glass of milk and a piece of bread."  
>"Yes. In France, that would be considered breakfast, I'll have you know." I reply.<br>"Hmm." Gakupo rolls his eyes, still skeptical.  
>"Mind your own business." I snap, annoyed that he's being such a...big brother these days. "You've been getting three hours of sleep every night, should I start babying you about that?"<br>It's true. He's been staying up late IMing with his friends every night. I can hear him laughing through the walls.  
>"You're awful snippy today, Gumi." Mother says, frowning and crossing her arms. "We have a customer coming over in a few hours, so I hope you cheer up by then."<br>I almost spew my milk. Covering my mouth with my hand, I watch as it dribbles down my chin, my heart pounding a bit. "A what?"  
>"A customer..." Mother reaches over with a napkin and, despite my protest, cleans me up.<br>"We're still doing that?" I ask, my voice wavering a bit.  
>"What do you mean? Of course." She frowns at me. "It's a good way to make a bit of cash on the side. And the mirror's just gathering dust up there anyway."<br>"I...I guess so." I look across the kitchen at Gumi, who leans against the kitchen counter. She raises an eyebrow at me and winks.

"Oh, Gumi," Mom's eyes suddenly light up as she takes a seat across from me. "You never told me how your date went."  
>"It was good. Fine." I say, a little too quickly. Mother raises an eyebrow. She leans in and whispers, "Did he kiss you?"<br>"_Mom._" I say, rolling my eyes, but smiling.  
>"Hey, its my job to ask." For a moment, we've exited the stressful conversation about the mirror. But with a glance at the clock, Mom snaps back into reality and starts bustling around the kitchen. "Got to clean up." She mumbles to herself.<br>"Who is this 'customer'? Are they important?"  
>Mother freezes in place and looks at me strangely. "Sort of." She replies, and leaves the kitchen to go sweep the foyer.<br>Gakupo is also looking at me strangely. "Seriously, Gumi. Don't blow this. Just stay in your room for the next few hours."  
>"Who is it?" I demand impatiently.<br>Gakupo wiggles his eyebrows. "Prime Minister."

We are dressed in our best clothes. Gakupo wears a button down, black slacks, and a purple tie. I wear a long, stuffy yellow dress. We brush through our hair a bit, clean our rooms (which seems a bit ridiculous), and when everything's ready, we wait patiently, perched on the edge of the couch.  
>Mother paces back and forth until the doorbell rings.<br>Gumi stands up, says,"Time to do my job." And goes to climb the stairs. The little crooked smile on her face is what worries me.  
>"Wait," I hiss, running toward her. I hope Gakupo doesn't see me. "Whatever you do," I whisper fiercely, "Behave. You hear me? This is the prime minister. If you screw this up...our whole family..."<br>"Shut up, I know what I'm doing." She looks at me in disgust. "Have some self-confidence, Gumi." She marches up the stairs and disappears into the closet.

He smiles and shakes our hands. "I'm here to see this remarkable mirror I keep hearing about." As if we didn't know. We didn't think he was just dropping in for tea.  
>His various entourage reclines in the living room, acting like they own the place. Mother politely offers them tea and cakes (which look very carefully prepared), and they accept. They scarf the cakes down whole and swallow piping hot gulps of tea.<br>I look on in digust, until Gakupo nudges me. "Bring him upstairs. Mom's busy." He whispers. Feeling a sense of panic, I turn back to the prime minister. "Um, if you'll follow me, sir." I say in a squeaky voice, turning to the stairs. He seems genuinely excited. I pray to God that Gumi will show him something good.  
>I don't know if mother usually talks to the customers before they go in, but I do. I turn to him at the top of the stairs, just in front of the closet door, and say, "I'll remind you, sir, that the mirror shows you what it thinks you need to see. Whether it be, um...good or...or bad."<br>He waves his hand dismissively at me. "I understand, girl, please let me in."  
>Sighing, I open the door and give him a gentle shove into the dark, cramped space.<p>

As soon as he's inside, I race to my room and peer through the hole in my wall. I tear at it with my long nails and manage to make it slightly larger. Then I watch, wringing my hands.  
>"Well?" The prime minister sits there for a few minutes, frowning in frustration. He reaches out and taps the mirror. "Hellooo?"<br>I cross my fingers, silently praying.  
>Then, thank God, a bright blue glow bursts from the mirror, illuminating the room. It's never been this magical-looking. She's putting on a show.<br>The prime minister, intrigued, leans forward.  
>"Hello, Prime Minister." Normally, I wouldn't be able to hear her speak, since she does it telepathically. But we share a connection now, one that allows me to hear everything.<br>"H-hello." He stammers, his eyes bugging out of his head as the girl in the mirror speaks to him. She is about to continue when he says, "Wait. You look just like..."  
>Damn. How is he so observant?<br>She must have changed her facial features slightly, because he shakes his head and says, "Never mind. What will you show me, o mirror?"  
>I roll my eyes, hoping Gumi has the strength to put up with this guy.<br>"Well, actually, Prime Minister, if you have some time on your hands..." And suddenly, I can't hear her anymore. The closet goes dark, and silence falls. What are they doing? Why can't I hear them?  
>And then I realize that she's done it on purpose. She doesn't want me to hear them. She's put up some sort of barrier between us. Why? I can only pray she's not murdering him in there.<p>

When the Prime Minister emerges from the closet 40 minutes later, he seems extremely joyful. This makes me both relieved and nervous, and as soon as he leaves, I dart into the closet.  
>"What did you show him?"<br>She is out of the mirror now, stretching her arms and grimacing. "Just being in there for an hour makes me cramped. It's like, I'm so used to being out of it-  
>"What did you show him?" I repeat, my voice fiercer.<br>"Calm down!" She says, crossing her arms. "I gave him advice on military and political strategies. Showed him what his enemies were planning. Showed him bathing in money."  
>"What?" I cry, slapping my palms to my forehead. "You can't...you can't <em>do <em>that! Jesus!"  
>"Why not?" She says innocently, running a hand through her silky black hair. "It can only help our country, anyway."<br>She says 'our country' like you might say 'my annoying little brother'. I can tell she doesn't really think of Japan fondly. Her voice just drips of ulterior motives.  
>I lean against the wall, groaning.<br>"Relax, girl. Whatever happens, I'll make sure it doesn't affect us, okay?" She is sincerely trying to reassure me. I can hear kindness in her voice. It doesn't suit her.  
>I am about to respond when the door swings open, flooding the room with light. Startled, I step into the doorway, and am face to face with Gakupo.<br>"What...were you doing in here?" He says, his voice shaking a bit.  
>"I was cleaning up after the Prime Minister. He knocked some things over." I say immediately. I'm surprised at how easily the lie comes to me.<br>Gakupo stands there for a few silent minutes, eyes narrowed, not believing me. I cross my arms and stare back at him, hoping my look of guilt doesn't give me away.  
>Eventually he sighs and runs a hand through his long violet hair. "Mom wants to take us to the Ghibli museum with the extra money she made."<br>"That old place? We're teenagers now." I say bitterly, rolling my eyes. Then I pause. I don't know why I said that. I used to love Ghibli.  
>Gakupo frowns. "You said you wanted to go there just last week."<br>"Did I? Well..." Initiating my nervous habit, I start tearing off fingernails with my teeth.  
>Gakupo narrows his eyes even more, and says, "Well, get changed into outdoor clothes and come downstairs in five minutes. Mom says you can bring a date if you want."<br>"Yeah right." I say, then clap a hand to my mouth.  
>What the Hell?<br>I look sideways at Gumi. Is she putting words in my mouth? If she is, her face doesn't give anything away.  
>"I mean, um...no, that's okay. I'd rather just be with the family today." I try to smooth it over, but Gakupo just shakes his head and walks away.<br>What is wrong with me lately?


	11. The Message

**Hey, guys- having a good summer? :) I was away from home the past two weeks, but here's the next chapter. It's a short one, sort of a transition chapter really. All adds to the build up. Chapter 12 coming soon.**

**Read and review! I do not own Vocaloid or Mosaic Roll, thank youz!**

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><p>The giant robot towering above me covers the grass with cool shade. I recline against the robot's legs, staring up at a single cloud floating across the sky. It's quite peaceful here, but there's a knot in my stomach that makes me feel like shouting something nasty.<br>Gumi reclines next to me. "This thing is so babyish." She pats the robot's foot. "Good decision not to bring Lenny, by the way. He would just make it even more embarrassing."  
>"Don't talk about him like that." I say in a monotone.<br>"Whatever. Macaroon?" She holds out a paper plate in my direction.  
>I shake my head, and then do a double take. "How in the world did you get a hold of those?"<br>"I bought them." She says simply, and pops one in her mouth.  
>"With what? How?"<br>"It's not that hard." She rolls her eyes. "You're easy to pickpocket."  
>Outraged, I grope around in my pockets. Sure enough, my 500 yen is missing.<br>"So you might as well eat one, since you paid for them." Gumi says, snickering, and places a blue macaroon in my hand. Scowling, I eat it. It's delicious.

Gumi is intolerable all through the museum tour. Our guide takes us to beautiful gardens, artist offices, and hand painted murals, but she doesn't care about any of that. She just wants to whine, and fill my head with negative thoughts. Eventually even I start to hate being here, and I ask mom if we can go home.  
>She frowns at me. "We're going to get something to eat first, dear. Lunch at the Straw Hat Cafe is one of our traditions, remember?"<br>"Whatever." I sigh, crossing my arms. Gakupo glares at me, and I look down at my shoes.

After lunch, I peruse the gift shop, while Gakupo talks with mother in the corner of the shop. They are speaking in very hushed tones. I crouch behind a rack of art supplies and listen in.  
>"What was she doing in there?" That's mother, sounding worried.<br>"She said she was tidying up, but she's a horrible liar. She's up to something." That's Gakupo. I put my face in my hands.  
>"That closet is bad news." Mother says. I can tell she's probably wringing her hands. "We need to talk to her."<br>"That's not all." Gakupo says, lowering his voice even more. "She talks to herself. Yesterday she was sitting alone on the couch watching anime and having a conversation with herself."  
>There's a pause. My heart is racing. So they've caught me. All the sneaking around, all the midnight trips to the closet, all the whispered replies to Gumi's comments- it wasn't enough.<br>Mother, after a long hesitation, says, "Let's buy her whatever she wants here, and then we'll head home and have a long chat."  
>Gakupo sighs. "She's not going to agree..."<br>He might say more, but I am already far away by then, in the opposite end of the shop, my heart pounding.

Mother insists I buy something, so I choose a set of silverware, engraved with meaningful kanji characters. Love, strength, trust, etc. As we drive away from the Ghibli museum, I turn back, and the giant robot statue seems to wink at me.  
>When we arrive home, I know what's coming next. So I grab my set of silverware, dash up the stairs, slam my door and lock it.<br>I thumb my phone to life. Len tried to call twice.

I would call him back, but I'm too afraid I'll snap at him. I just can't trust my own temper right now. So instead I check my email, with Gumi peering over my shoulder.

I glare at her and double click on the newest one, from an unfamiliar address.

"**Dear resident of 2245 Mallard Drive,**

**I have some information about the…skeleton… in your closet that you might want to hear. Meet me in the park tomorrow at 4. You know which park I mean."**

Oh shit. My heart is pounding. I exit the window quickly and spin around in my desk chair, away from the computer. Gumi looks at me with amusement.

"What's the problem? It's probably just spam…"

I look at her. "No. That was really fishy." I wrung my hands. "Someone knows about you."

"Well, it doesn't matter, because you're not going anyway."

I continue to stare at her. "Says who?"

Gumi gapes at me. "Says…me, and you, and common sense! Who would go meet a total stranger in the park?"

"There will be lots of kids and parents there. It's not like he's going to rape me."

"He might! All I'm saying, Gumi, is even if he _does_ know…" She shrugs and rolls her eyes. "He's not going to tell you anything important."

"Oh really." I fold my arms. "How do you know?"

Gumi's stare is cold, and she places her wrists on the arms of my chair, bending down so that her face is inches from mine.

"Because." She growls. "I have nothing to hide."

I swallow, and my skin tingles a bit. Nevertheless, I shove her translucent spirit to the side and slip on my sandals.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Gumi." And I leave, slamming the door behind me.


	12. The Revelation

**Afternoon! Here's the next chapter, and we're back in double-spaced form! FYI, the story will probably be finished in about 3-5 chapters. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far, and to all you new readers! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I own many things, but I do not own Vocaloid. Or Mosaic Roll. Thankyou!**

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><p>CHAPTER 12: THE REVELATION<p>

My instincts were wrong- the park is not filled with children playing and mothers gossiping. There is no one else in sight.

Just me, and the man on the bench.

He looks at least 60 years old, and wears thick-rimmed glasses over wrinkled, wasted eyes. A thin grey trench coat hangs over his skinny frame. When he sees me, standing warily behind a tree, he beckons me over with a pruney finger.

I approach him, stopping about three feet away. "Are you the guy that…sent the e-mail?"

"Are you Gumi?" His voice is deep and gravelly.

I nod briskly.

"Please come sit on the bench with me; I'm old and my voice can't carry that far."

I hesitate, but eventually sit down on the other side of the bench.

He doesn't bother with an intro. He gets right to the point.

"Have you ever heard of Satoro Atsushi?"

The name sounds familiar, but I shake my head.

"He lived in your house fifty years ago. Committed suicide in 1968."

My eyes widen. "Yeah, I have heard of him-

"He was my best friend."

"Oh." I look at my shoes. "Sorry."

He ignores my apology. "I met him when his family moved here in 1965. We were 13." I can tell he's already looking into the past - his eyes are glazing over.

"At first, I didn't see anything special about him. I thought he was a strange, unstable boy who stayed in his house all day. Then one day, my mother had me bring over a cake, and he answered the door. He said 'Come and see this'."

The old man turns to face me and stares into my eyes. "That's when he showed me the mirror."

In spite of myself, a shiver runs down my spine. Considering I know how this story ends, I'm not looking forward to it.

"I know you've seen it. What do you think happened when we went into the basement, and looked into the mirror?" He's asking me, but I don't want to answer.

"Go on."

I sigh. "Slightly different versions of yourselves."

"Exactly. And the four of us became the best of friends."

Forty minutes later, we are still talking. It's eerie how similar our stories are. When he mentions his other self wanting to exist outside the mirror, I can just hear Gumi's words from a few months ago. _"I was just about to recommend we start seeing each other more often."_

"Satoro was all for letting them out of the mirror. I, however, was a bit suspicious," The old man continues, "So Satoro let his out and I forced mine to remain behind the glass. He was so mad, he stopped appearing. He wouldn't talk to me. I was pretty upset, but the Other Satoro made up for it. He showed us visions, every afternoon. Sometimes they'd be very disturbing- he'd show murder, rape, torture. I would close my eyes for those. Satoro didn't care; he liked all of them. In fact, he started to like the bad ones more than the good ones." He sighs, and in that moment, the man seems older than time itself.

He pauses a second to stretch his back, then plows on. "In 1968, Satoro attempted to strangle his younger sister. He and his family went to court two days later. He got off on community service, because the doctors had managed to prove he was mentally unstable. Satoro didn't even remember doing it."

The old man looks at me, his hard stare penetrating my soul.

"Why do you think he didn't remember doing it?"

I think hard. Then, when it hits me, I audibly gasp. My pale knuckles grip the edge of the bench. The world is a bit dizzy now. "It...it was..."

"Yes. You got it- his mirror self, who he had carelessly let out of the mirror just a few months ago. The Other Satoro had glided in to the little sister's room in the dead of night, and tried to strangle her. He would have succeeded, too, but the Other Satoro didn't have enough strength. He was still only an apparition."

The man is finishing up his story, I can tell. It's almost over. He leans back and rests his hands behind his head.

"His family figured the stress of the mildly big city we lived in was too much for him, so they moved out to the country the next year. All was well. Satoro turned 16, and I went to his birthday party. He seemed so much happier. And then, the day after the party...his mother found him dangling from the porch."

We are silent for a while. I have a really bad feeling in my stomach, and a headache is starting to form. How long has it been since I let Gumi out of the mirror? More than two months? Shit. I put my head in my hands and rock back and forth on the bench. The old man looks at me sympathetically.

"I hope you understand now. This is not a game, Gumi. You have to get rid of her before you get too tangled up in all of this. Distance yourself from her."

"It's not that simple." I mutter.

"There is a way. You have to break the mirror. And I mean really break it. Completely destroy it."

"She won't let me."

"I know." The old man sighs. "And that's not my problem." And he's standing up now, dusting off his coat and gathering his things.

"You're just gonna leave with that? You're not gonna help me?" I say, my eyes widening and my fists clenching. I stand up so I am eye level with him.

He looks so tired, he might faint. "I promised myself forty years ago that I would never get involved with the mirror again. I don't even live in this city...I'm two hours away."

"How did you find me, then?"

"An online forum." He says, already walking away. I walk briskly behind him. "What do you mean, online forum?"

"A social networking forum. I browse them every now and then. Someone was describing the strange behavior of a girl they knew, and it sounded exactly like Satoro in his last years. I said I could help, and they asked me to come here."

I stop in my tracks. "Who wrote this?"

He shrugs. "Their username was something like...Kagamine1?"

I don't know if Gumi heard our conversation. She could have been behind a tree, listening the entire time. I don't care. I have to talk to her about it.

I know its not a good idea to approach her about something like this, but maybe that's the one thing that didn't occur to the old man. Just _talking_ to her. It could help.

Maybe.


	13. The Determination

**Here's the next chapter! Quick, right? I'm so eager to finish this and get to the extremely-suspenseful-and-exciting-conclusion :D ****You've only got a few chapters left to leave reviews and let me know what you think of this story, so please do so! Thanks, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise... I don't own Vocaloid. Or Mosaic Roll. I'm pretty sure you guys don't either, you cheeky foxes.**

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><p>CHAPTER 13: THE ATTEMPT<p>

"Oh, good. You're not dead." She mumbles as I enter my bedroom. I try to smirk and look laid back, but my hands are shaking.

"Nope. And, surprisingly, he didn't rape me either." I say, leaning against the wall.

Gumi looks at me, suspicious. "So what did he say?"

"Um...nothing important." I want to slap myself. _Just say it. Just ask her what her motives are. Just... _I sigh. I planned this whole conversation out as I walked home. Now I'm too scared to even start it.

Gumi isn't convinced. She folds her pale arms and narrows her golden eyes. After waiting a few seconds, she says, "You know, you're my best friend."

I raise an eyebrow. That was _not_ what I was expecting to hear from _her_, of all people. "Uh...yeah. Okay."

"I'm serious. Do you know how nice a person has to be to let someone like me out of the mirror? I'd been crammed in there for fifteen years. And you were so...willing to bring me into the real world."

Oh, God. Here comes the guilt. All thoughts of destroying the mirror and getting rid of Gumi are swirling down the drain, and pooling in some forbidden pocket of my mind. I couldn't do that to her.

"And because you're so nice to me, I owe you one. I owe you a hundred. I'm going to keep you safe." She's crossing the room now, and she's just inches away. She grips my shoulder, a bit too firmly. "I know what's best for you."

I am backed up against the wall, a bit panicked, when the door swings open.

"Gumi?...You okay?" Len says, frowning. I must look a bit strange; pinned invisibly to the wall.

"Fine." I say, and move out from under Gumi. She huffs and goes to sulk in the corner.

"I came to pick you up and take you ice skating." He smiles shyly, and runs a hand through his shaggy blonde hair.

I smile. "That sounds great. Let me get changed." He nods and exits the room, closing the door softly.

Gumi is glaring at me. I try to ignore her as I change into jeans and a cardigan. But her stare is painful.

"What?" I finally say, turning to her and putting my hands on my hips.

"You hang out with him all the time."

"Um, actually, no I don't. I hardly ever hang out with him. I'm always here." I point to the floor.

"Whatever." She crosses her arms again and looks away. "You should be here more."

"Why are you acting so weird today?" I pull on sneakers and start to turn the doorknob. At the last second, I pause.

"Hey..stay in here while I'm gone, okay?"

"Duh." She says, still annoyed with me.

"No, seriously...can you, like, not leave my room?"

"Sure, now just go to the damn ice skating rink!" She picks up the nearest book and throws it at me. I dodge it, and it slams against the wall. I shoot her one last worried look, and step out into the hallway.

We have a blast at the ice skating rink. I'm not very good at it, but Len helps me out when I'm going too slow. He can also do all of these tricks, like skating backwards and jumping. Who knew? He tries to teach me, but I have trouble just staying on my feet. After practicing jumps, we go down together, laughing. Then he holds me hand out he door and into the street.

He just got his driver's license yesterday, so we can ride to places without his parents now. His parents are nice, but I'm glad we get time together.

As he starts up the car, I remember what the man in the park said. "Kagamine1". Is that him? I'm pretty sure its not Rin.

So what do I do? I blurt out, "Is your screenname Kagamine1?"

He freezes, in the process of turning the ignition. His head swivels to look at me. "Um...yes. Why...?"

"I just...someone..." I twiddle my thumbs. Should I tell him?

He's already guessed. "The man? The man who said he could help you?"

My heart starts beating faster. "So you know? How much do you know?"

"Practically nothing." He says, shaking his head.

"What? Then how did you..."

"I just said I knew a girl who was losing weight, having stomach pains, lashing out uncontrollably, getting headaches, and spending all of her time at home."

I blink. For one thing, I'm surprised he's paid this much attention. I never even told him I had stomach pains or headaches, but I must have shown it. On the other hand...

"How did he know what to do from just those symptoms? The man, I mean?"

"I...don't know. What did he do?" Len frowned. We were still just parked in his car, talking in hushed voices, like people could hear, even though they couldn't.

"Um..."

"You don't have to tell me, Gumi. I wish you would, but you don't have to. I just want you to...get better." He sighs, and finally starts the car, pulling out of the parking space.

I stare straight forward, torn. If I tell him, that will be a total of 2 people who know my secret. I can't risk 2. One of them could leak something, and then it might become 3, or 4, or...

But I have to tell him _something_. God knows I've been a horrible girlfriend these past few weeks.

"I can't tell you...all of it. But I can tell you...it has to do with the mirror."

He raises an eyebrow, and nods. It doesn't surprise him too much.

"I've been kind of...addicted to visiting the mirror. My family doesn't know, so don't tell them," I add quickly. He nods. He's not turned to look at me, of course- he's keeping his eyes on the road. But I can tell he's listening completely.

"And its really affecting my personality," I continue, surprising even myself. I haven't admitted that out loud before. I didn't even realized it. But it makes sense. So I continue, saying things that hadn't occurred to me before. "I've become so much more negative, and I hate it. But I can't stop. Because when I don't go to see the mirror, things just get worse. At first, it was kind of fun. But now, I know more about it, and I..." I sigh, clasping my hands in my lap. "I need to stop. I'm going to stop. I think the only way to stop it all is to just...destroy the mirror."

I've told him much more than I intended to, but its done. He's throwing me worried glances at every red light, silent for several minutes. Thankfully, we're almost home.

"Well, I'll only interfere if you want me too, Gumi." He says quietly.

"I don't!" I yell, and then immediately regret it. He looks a bit hurt, and I say quickly, "I'm sorry- that's what happens. That's what its doing to me."

"Then you're right, you need to end it. I think as soon as you get home today, you should go into the closet, and destroy the mirror."

My hands start shaking. I'm scared just thinking about it. I would tell him its not that simple, but that would require more explanation. About Gumi. And her idea that I'm her best buddy.  
>Which I am completely, absolutely, definitely not.<p>

Len pulls into the driveway of my house. I unbuckle my seatbelt, and he does too. I figure he's just going to walk me to the door, but he doesn't get out of the car. He reaches over and grabs my hand. I smile and squeeze it once, and then...he pulls me towards him, and kisses me.

I'm surprised, so I don't close my eyes at first. He doesn't either. We stare at each other, inclining our heads deeper for the kiss. I gaze into his deep blue eyes and wrap my arms around his neck.

Finally we pull away, and we're smiling nervously at each other. I climb out of the car, and tell him thanks for a good time.

He stares down at me from the driver's seat. Even after that elated moment, he still looks anxious for me.

"I'll be fine." I smile and give him a thumbs up. And I will. After tonight, I definitely will.

He nods once, lips pursed - the lips I just felt against my own!- and backs out of the driveway.

Everything that Len has done or tried to do for me could not have helped me any more than that kiss. Because that kiss, those few seconds, have given me the courage to do what I'm about to do.

I walk past my mom in the kitchen. She asks how the date was, and I turn to her, give her a genuine smile, and say. "It was great. I love you, mom." And head up the stairs. I'm sure she's blinking with surprise behind me.

I climb the stairs, my legs feeling heavier with each step. When I reach my bedroom, I pause at the door. After a moment's consideration, I head into the closet instead.

It's been a while since I was in here. It used to feel familiar and exciting. Now I just want to get out of here as quickly as possible.

I dig through towels and blankets and resurface with the mirror. It's dusty now- we haven't had a visit since the Prime Minister. I shudder, remembering what Gumi showed him. Oh well. What's done is done.

I exit the closet quickly, clutching the mirror behind my back. And when I push open into my bedroom, I almost drop it in surprise.

Because Gumi is waiting for me, knife in hand.


	14. The Last Chance

**Mornin! **

**I'll just tell you now, prepare for craziness. :3 Also, nothing makes me happier than seeing a new review come in. Even if its just a few short words, I'm very grateful for them. So please, leave one! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Crypton, Deco*27, and anyone else involved in Vocaloid or Mosaic Roll.**

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><p>CHAPTER 14: THE LAST CHANCE<p>

"Hi..." I begin, staring at the butter knife she's holding. Why does she have one? Only after a few seconds of staring do I sigh with relief. It's just the one I got from the Ghibli museum, with the kanji for love engraved in the handle. She was admiring the silverware set.

"How was the date?" She asks casually. She doesn't look at me.

"Great."

"Did he kiss you?" There's a bitter tone in her voice.

"Um...yeah." I frown. "Were you spying on us?"

"It's not spying if you did it right in the driveway. The whole neighborhood could have seen."

"Oh." I blush. I hope not. "Well, anyway, yeah. It was really nice. Have fun while I was gone?"

"Oh, yeah." She says sarcastically. "Being condemned to your room. Always a pleasure."

I swallow the nervous bile that was forming in my throat. I have to do it. Now. Before I get any second thoughts.

First, the talking bit.

"You've been bringing me down, Gumi." I begin. Kind of a dark way to start, but oh well. It's the truth.

She finally looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes. My friends and family have noticed it. My attitude is much more negative when you're around me. I've lost my appetite, and I'm losing lots of weight. And I think its time you..." I trail off, because the look in her eyes is murderous. I start shaking again. I hope she can't see.

"Are you trying to...get rid of me?" She asks quietly.

I nod once.

Her eyes widen to yellow discs, and she stands up. She hasn't put the butter knife down yet. As a matter of fact, she grabs a few forks as well.

I back up a few steps and lock the bedroom door. She raises both eyebrows when I do so, and starts advancing toward me slowly.

"You can't do that, Gumi."

"I can." I say, trying to calm my nerves. _Stop shaking, damn it! _

"Was it Len? Did he talk you into this?" Only as she gets closer I notice her hands are shaking too. But not in a nervous way. In a raging lunatic way.

"N-no! Of course not, it was that man." I don't want her to be mad at Len. She could hurt him some how.

"Of course. That stupid fucking..." She takes a deep breath. "Everything he said, Gumi, was a complete lie. People like that, they-

"No." I say, my assertive voice cutting through her soft, menacing one. She blinks. "No," I continue, "Don't bullshit me. I know it was the truth and I know that your little mirror has a history of causing trouble. I know that Satoro Atsushi's Other Side tried to strangle his own sister. And I'm starting to think that these mirror versions aren't even real." I'm talking very fast now, and her eyes continue to widen with every syllable. We are just inches apart, and I can feel her hot breath. But she doesn't even breath. She's an apparition, right?

"Oh really." She says, in response to my theory. "And what is that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"It means that there is no way in Hell that you are a part of me. And if you are, then you are a_ very_ exaggerated part of me. I would never do the things you do. And I'm pretty sure Satoro Atsushi would never have strangled his sister. So I'm asking you now, very nicely, to please go back where you came from." And I produce the mirror from behind my back.

She gasps, and backs away very quickly."Get that thing the fuck away from me." She says, her voice vicious.

"No. You need to go back in. You need to be kept in the closet. Or actually, no- the attic. Or storage. Somewhere people won't find you and go insane."

"You're not doing that to me. I'm a part of y-

"No, you're not!" I yell. Then I remember that there are other people in the house, and I lower my voice. "No, you're not. I won't let you convince me that this is my Other Side. I'm pretty sure my other side isn't a monstrous bitch."

That does it. She screams angrily, picks up a fork, and throws it at me. Her aim is perfect, and I dodge it just in time. The fork impales itself in the wall. She threw it that hard.

My heart is racing now. I start to walk toward her, holding out the mirror. Maybe if she just touches it, she'll go back in...

She throws another fork. I jump to the left quickly. Then she throws the butter knife. That one brushes my check as it flies past, and soon I feel a trickle of something warm down my face. Ironic, how the tools she is using to hurt me are engraved with words like "Love," Strength", and "Fate".

I dash towards her desperately, brandishing the mirror. I expect her to run away again, but she stays still. When I finally get close enough to touch her, she grabs hold of both my arms and throws me down to the floor.

I hit the ground on my back, hard, knocking the air out of me. The mirror slides out of my grip. I would pick it up, but I'm so dizzy. Yellow spots cloud my vision, and I can barely make out Gumi as she picks up the mirror and places it neatly on a shelf.

She grabs something from my desk, and then comes to stand over me.

"You are my best friend." She says, for the second time today. I weakly try to get up, but she shoves me back down and my head cracks against the floor. I moan, and she grabs my shirt, leaning over me, pulling me towards her.

Only then do I see the pair of deadly, silver scissors in her hand.

I say, "No...please..."

"I was getting bored of you anyway, Gumi. But you know what the worst part is? You're my best friend, and you're my sister. You're me. And I'm you." She's holding the scissors high above my heart, ready to bring them down in one swift motion.

"And because of all of those things...I love you, Gumi." She smiles wickedly. "I love you with all of my heart."

"You call t_his_ love?" I mumble, laughing darkly. "This whole situation is not, in any way, love."

She glares, and brings the scissors down, aiming for my heart.

I grab her wrist, stopping her briefly. She looks down at me, and there are tears in her golden eyes. I don't know how long we sit there, not moving. I'm glaring and struggling to hold up her arm, and she's crying. I don't know why.

She might reconsider, and suddenly stab me, but she doesn't have time to. The door swings open, and Gakupo bursts into the room.

We all stare at each other.

And then Gakupo takes action.

He yells and jumps at us, knocking Gumi into the wall. She writhes under his strong arms, but he's pinned her.

"Gakupo...wait..." I start to say. "She's not..."

He turns to look at me, raising an eyebrow. He doesn't know what's going on, he just wants to help. And in that split second that he turns his head, Gumi wrenches free from his grip and drives the scissors into his shoulder.

He screams and collapses in a heap on the floor.


	15. The Fading

**OhmyGosh guys, this is the second to last chapter! I can't believe it, this is like one of the only good stories I've ever completed! Anyway, please read and kindly leave a good review for this little chapter :)**

** *inner squeal of excitement* :D**

**I own nothing!**

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><p>CHAPTER 15: THE FADING<p>

"GAKUPO!" I scream, and watch in horror as blood begins to pool around his crumpled body. He moans, clutching his shoulder. Thank God, he's not dead.

I am about to crawl over and help him, when I sense movement behind me. I whip around to see Gumi running to the bedroom door.

I jump up, my headache making me sway a bit, and grab the mirror from the top shelf. Just as Gumi starts to turn the doorknob, I throw the mirror on the ground as hard as I can. Cracks form all across the surface, and Gumi screams in pain. She sinks to her knees.

I stomp on the mirror with my heavy boot, and it cracks even more. Gumi cries out. I step on the glass again and again, Gumi's screams growing louder with each one. When I glance down at the mirror, there are still some fairly large pieces. The old man said I had to destroy it completely, so I grab a heavy snowglobe from my shelf and start smashing the mirror with that. She moans, writhing on the floor, clutching her face.

I'm on a roll. I can't stop. I know she's had enough, but I keep going. I grab heavier and heavier objects, smashing the mirror into microscopic pieces.

I'm prepared to keep going until she stops screaming, but then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I whip around angrily.

"What?"

Gakupo looks at me sadly, and holds his palm out. I glare at it, sigh, and put the lamp I was using into his hand.

He puts it back on my nightstand. Then, with an exchange of grimaces, we both cross the room and stand over Gumi's quivering figure.

I reach down and move her hands away from her face. What I see makes me gasp. Her face is becoming more and more translucent by the minute. Her solid form is deteriorating, and she's fading away.

"I...love..." She tries to choke out, and a pang goes through my stomach. Hearing my own voice plead like that is disturbing beyond belief.

I know Gakupo is completely confused, but I don't even try to explain. I just watch as a dark, twisted version of myself fades into nothing. Before she disappears completely, she gets out a few sentences "We're more alike...than you think, Gumi...you should have seen...the look on your face...and I think..." She coughs, and transparent blood splashes onto the carpet. "I'm no more of a monster than you are..."

And with that, she's gone.

We stare at the empty spot on the carpet for a few seconds. Then, Gakupo can't stand anymore, and collapses on my bed. I rush to help him. After a few minutes of trying to pull out the scissors and failing, I make a decision. It's time to bring in outside help. I throw open the bedroom door and scream, at the top of my lungs,

"MOM, HELP! GAKUPO'S DYING!"

A few minutes later, the paramedics take an unconscious Gakupo and a very worried Mom to the hospital in the back of the ambulance. I promise I'll follow soon after, but there's something I have to do first.

... ... ... ...

Len drives me to the hospital an hour later. We drive in almost total silence, until he asks me, "So...were you...successful?"

I nod gravely. "She's gone."

"She?"

I tell him everything. It's at least 45 minutes to the hospital, so we have plenty of time. He listens patiently, and when I'm done, he asks, "So...she's gone for good now?"

"Yep."

"And are you...okay with that?"

I frown. "Of course I am."

"Yeah, you sure sound like it." He raises an eyebrow, and I raise one as well.

After a few seconds pause, I sigh. "God, how do you know me so damn well?"

He smiles "I'm just very wise."

I punch him in the shoulder lightly. Then, I admit, "It's just so weird, you know? One minute she creeps me out, she scares me, she's the bitchiest...and then an hour later, she's saying things like 'I love you'. 'You're my best friend'. 'Thanks for letting me out of the mirror'."

"That all sounds pretty creepy to me." Len interjects, and I wave him away.

"I think she was just tired. Tired, and bored, and needed someone to entertain her at all times. And she finally found me, so she latched onto my insecurity, and just sort of...fed off of me. And when I didn't want to be around her all the time, she freaked."

"Freaked is a bit of an understatement, but yeah, that sounds about right." Len nods, turning into the hospital parking lot.

"What scares me, though, Len...she predicted this would happen." I don't get out of the car. I turn to him, my eyes fogging up.

"She knew Gakupo was going to get hurt. So what else did she know? She showed me so many things. How many of them were true?" I'm shaking again. Len unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs over to the passenger seat. He wraps his arms around me and strokes my hair. I'm sobbing now. Gakupo is really hurt, and so many other people could be in danger.

"There's nothing we can do about it either way." Len says softly, kissing me on the top of my head.I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to calm myself down.

"She showed Rin...an image of you...being sh-shot...and you...died..." I choke out. Len doesn't reply, he just keeps stroking my hair as I try to talk in between sobs. "And what if...that ...r-really happens? She talked to the Prime Minister...our whole country could f-fall..." I can't help it, I sob harder. Len holds me for a while, and then eventually, pulls away to talk to me.

"You said it yourself, Gumi. She was just bored. She wanted someone to talk to. Someone to vent to. She didn't have some extreme ulterior motive- she was just lonely. And now we don't have to deal with her any more. So can we just put it behind us?"

I breathe deeply, let out the last few sobs, and nod. Len smiles kindly, and reaches up to wipe my eyes.

"Your mascara's running. Don't know why you wear it, but let's fix it before we go in." He rubs gently below my eyes. When its all gone, he helps me down from the car, and we walk to the front doors of the hospital hand in hand.

Mom's waiting inside. She'll be wanting explanations, the whole story. So will Gakupo. And I'm prepared to tell them.

But not just yet.


	16. The Pieces That Remain

**Well, this is it. The final chapter, or rather, its more of an epilogue. I'll let you read it first, and then there will be notes at the bottom. Kay? Enjoy!**

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><p>CHAPTER 16: THE PIECES THAT REMAIN<p>

1 WEEK LATER

Gakupo is upstairs, laying in bed. He supposedly recovered two days ago, but he enjoys being lazy, so he's stayed in his bedroom.

Mom sits across from me at the kitchen table, reading a magazine. I eat my breakfast quietly, the fork scraping against the plate every few seconds.

It's been tense all week.

"Mom," I say, setting down the fork and looking her in the eye. "Can you please, please tell me what happened to dad?"

Mom puts down her magazine. After a few moments' hesitation, she sighs, and folds her hands. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did he...you know? Was it the mirror?"

She rubs her temples. "In a way." I wait, and eventually, she continues. "You once asked me what I saw in the mirror. Well, I didn't look into it until your father and I had been married for five years. The night of our anniversary, I snuck into the closet. I thought it would give me a nice vision, a good anniversary present." She takes a deep breath, and she looks very sad, and very old and tired. "But it didn't. It showed your father cheating on me with three other women. And...I thought that everything the mirror showed you was true..."

Oh, no. I don't really want to hear this anymore. But I can't just stop her in the middle of her story. She's finally letting it all out. She's kept this inside for so long. I keep listening.

"So I woke him up in the middle of the night and started yelling at him. We got in a huge fight. He kept denying it, but I kept insisting..." Tears leak out of her eyes but she quickly wipes them away. "Anyway, I sort of...stopped talking to him after that. We didn't split up, because we had children to think of. But we just...stopped loving each other. And it was all my fault." She choked on a sob. "He started drinking. He hit Gakupo once. Anyway...things just went downhill. And when you were 9, well...you know how it ends."

Years of grief help her hold back the tears. She doesn't cry, she just sits there, looking at her hands and sighing.

My whole life, I never thought I had much in common with my just never understood me. But now...now I walk around to table and wrap my arms around her. Because that's something we have in common- we were both permanently scarred by a piece of glass in a closet.

I have to get ready for my date with Len tonight. We're going to the movies. This time, things are going to go much better. I might even pay attention to the film.

I pause in the bedroom doorway. There are holes in the wall from forks and knives. There's still a patch of dried blood that I've been too scared to clean up. And the latest addition...

A stained glass mural on the wall. Made of tiny pieces of glass that I just didn't know what to do with. They've been dipped in paint, and collectively form a pair of beautiful, golden eyes. Eyes that will always watch over me. Because no matter how malevolent those eyes can be...they love me. And if they step out of line, I'll be the first to know.

A car honks in the distant. Crap. I quickly exchange my tennis shoes for flats. I don't want to be taller than my date, after all.

I fly downstairs, kiss Mom on the cheek, and run out to his car. He grins at me from the front seat as I climb in.

"Long time no see," He says, even though I've seen him every day this week.

"Mhm." I grin and pull him in for a long, warm kiss. When we pull apart, he starts the car, and we're driving away.

Len talks the whole way, but I'm only half-listening. Thankfully, I don't have that all-too-familiar pain in my stomach. But there's still that feeling in the back of my mind, the feeling that I've left something very important behind me...

Oh well. Things _will_ get better. They have too. And even if they don't, I have friends, and family, and a boyfriend who will support me.

Because Other Gumi was wrong about love. It doesn't come from pain. It doesn't strengthen when two people are bound together. It comes from trust, and happiness, and confidence. It comes when you want it to.

Len and I enter the movie theater, holding hands and grinning.

And everything else slowly fades away...

... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ...

_Certain words have piercing strength; it seems one or two stabbed at you_  
><em> As you laid down in pain, a liquid flowed; watching your fresh wound bleed, we figured we could call it love<em>

_ A lack of sympathy, deficiency; getting together, but just physically_  
><em> Although I'm stuck with you, we, us two, are perhaps more alike than I once knew<em>  
><em> "But even still, I love..." Me? Ha!<em>

_ Isn't it fine to say that we are loved?_  
><em> To be bound, so the world may never but touch<em>  
><em> Isn't this, too, just fate, and nothing more?<em>  
><em> Fade away, fade away, I say to a love...<em>

_ By the time the end has come, I'm so bored of you, fed up too_  
><em> Is it for love or wants? We just can't say, and yet still you release; what should be done?<em>

_ A lack of sympathy, deficiency; getting together, but just physically_  
><em> Although I'm stuck with you, we, us two, are perhaps more alike than I once knew<em>  
><em> But even still, it's fine, and so...<em>

_ This situation, would you call it love?_  
><em> Clinging tight, struggling on, toward yet unknown goals...<em>  
><em> Isn't it fine to kill those things for good?<em>  
><em> If it's me that you hate with all of your being...<em>

_ Isn't it fine to say that we are loved?_  
><em> To be bound, so the world may never but touch<em>  
><em> Isn't this, too, just fate, and nothing more?<em>  
><em><strong> Fade away, fade away,<strong> I say to our love..._

_[translation by Nitzah123 found on Vocalochu blog]  
><em>

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><p><strong>Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and such! :) I had a lot of fun writing this, and I intend to start another one very soon! There is a poll up on my profile, asking which category you'd like me to write in next. Please go vote in it! And also...don't forget to leave a review for not only the final chapter, but what you thought of the whole story!<strong>_  
><em>

**Thank you!  
>Gosh, I can't believe I'm actually done... yayyy :D<br>**


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